Weekly Round-Up

Time for this week’s round-up of the best of the blogs which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you. Remember, if you have written or read a post recently which you would like me to share with readers, then please leave a comment below.

I want to start off by introducing a new blog to the round-up this week The Cancer Curmudgeon who describes her blog as follows:

My reactions will not always be positive and upbeat, I mean hey, I call myself the Cancer Curmudgeon. That does not mean I am not grateful—because I AM VERY grateful for staying alive during cancer, for the drugs (made possible by research dollars from the pink ribbon behemoth) and health care team that keep me that way, and all the support I got and still get. But I do not think being grateful means that I, or anyone, should stop asking for improvements in cancer care and prevention. I demand of science more concrete cancer prevention methods than the “eat right, exercise, don’t drink or smoke” mantra that also helps prevent practically every damn human disease.

When I read Anne Marie’s latest post, FACEBOOK & GOOGLE & YURI–OH MY !! I found myself nodding vigorously in agreement. I share her sense of excitement at the future of healthcare that open collaboration between scientists, patients, tech and medicine is making possible. It is a revolution folks and as Anne Marie says, it is time to get on board!

Andrewalso writes about the new advances in cancer research in his own round-up of news this week. I also want to take another opportunity to thank Andrew for his contributions to the discussions on my blog this week. I really appreciate his sharing a male perspective on what is a very female dominated forum – thanks Andrew!

More vigorous head-nodding when I read The Sarcastic Boob’s latest poston survivorship. As you know this is an area I feel really passionate about and reading Scorchy’s blog confirmed for me yet again that our cancer treatment should cover allaspects of cancer survivorship from the day of diagnosis – that includes psycho-social issues, longer term chronic conditions and issues such as fatigue, pain, etc. It is not just about treating the cancer as a disease, it really should be about treating the person as a whole and being prepared for each stage of the cancer journey (however long that may be).

Eileen takes up this theme with a must read for anyone who is looking for ways to navigate the post-treatment period – her plan for healing includes sleep, juicing, exercise..and cocooning.

Meanwhile Jody Schoger writes about another aspect of the cancer experience – the effect it has on our close relationships.

There is a lot of talk in the cancer world about survivorship plans for patients. What I really need is a survivorship plan for my marriage.

And Emma is asking how we deal with others’ expectations during and after cancer treatment.

Some of you are aware that I had the great pleasure of attending a cancer survivorship conference last month and during a tweet chat, Jenn learned about the Living Well After Cancerprogramme and so this week she is writing about her first session at the programme and it has brought up some interesting points about not fitting in.

I find this a lot in the breastcancer “real world” as well as in the online community. Women, like me, in their 40′s, are stuck in the middle. Even the research studies tend to be looking at either “post-menopausal women over 50″ (not me) or “young women under 40″ (not me either). Very disheartening when the research community also seems hard-pressed to figure out where I fit!

Nancy has been reflecting on time and writing about her mother’s death. This struck such a deep note of longing in my own heart thinking of my own Mom and how much I wish I could go back in time and spend one more ordinary day with her. But I don’t think just one day would satisfy me. When it comes to wishing for time with my mother, there are no limits.

Once again this week Yvonnehas been writing up a storm from childhood memories of mobile libraries to the role of women in society covering the time from Edna St Vincent Mallas’ “scandalous” behavior to Kathryn Bigelow and the Oscars.

Elsewhere in the blogopshere….

Lois continues with her decluttering and unearths an old poem this week.

A delightful story from Beth with a deeper lesson hidden in it that many of us could learn from.

And finally this week, we welcome back Jan to the blogosphere. We have missed Jan’s voice in the blogosphere, but true to her loving and generous self, Jan has kept up to date with our own blogs and commented regularly. The comments welcoming Jan back to the blogosphere reflect just how much Jan is loved as a member of our community. Audrey’s comment summed up how many of us feel about you Jan and I want to close out this week’s bumper round-up with those words:

Dear Jan,
So lovely to hear from you again and know you are feeling able to engage in this way. Very hard however to hear what you have been dealing with. My heart is sore for you. Clearly you are in good hands and have good people around you. Please know I am sending love and best wishes across the blogosphere and that community’s collective will is holding you close.

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19 thoughts on “Weekly Round-Up”

Marie, Thanks so much for this round-up and for including my “Time” post. This week marks five years since my mother’s death and something that truly helps me get through this time, as well as all those other days when I miss her, is knowing you and so many others understand. Sharing always helps and you are so kind to share the posts others have written week in and week out. Thank you.

I find that it helps me enormously too that you continue to write about the loss of your Mom and the pink underbelly often does too – it helps me feel less alone in my own grief. It’s a topic that doesn’t get written about enough. When you are older like we are, it is expected that you get over the death of a parent quickly but boy, that is not the reality at all

My father has been gone for 22 years. The first year was traumatic, after which followed acceptance, even peace, but it didn’t stop the crying jags from hitting out of nowhere when triggered. At this point, crying over it is rare but I’ll always miss my dad. A bond being what it is doesn’t go away. The nature of love is to endure forever and for those of us lucky enough to have had a wonderful parent, there is no “getting over it” but peace does come in time on your own time table.

Thank you Marie
I find your round up a really good excuse to sit and read for an hour or so!
And thank you for mentioning our blog….we are trying to create some downloadable guides to some of the less black and white issues of living with cancer and hope people comment away or email us so that we can share people’s experiences with others that are maybe not yet entwined in the addictive world of blogs! (Yet!)
Hope you are having a great weekend
Emma x

Thank you so much, Marie, for including me and for the warm welcome back. I can’t tell you how much I missed the close blogging community we have and how wonderful it feels to be back in the saddle, typing on my keyboard despite my peripheral neuropathy. I can’t type as fast as I once could due to this tingling, but according to my doctor, that side effect will wane now that I am off taxol. I love you all. xox Jan

You should be including your own blog this week Marie 🙂 Amazing conversations! Thanks for all you do to create such a supportive community and foster dialogue between the disparate parts of the cancer sphere

Thanks so much for including my first Huffington Post article in your weekly round-up. You always curate such an amazing collection of beautiful, honest posts, and I am deeply honored to be among them.

Thank you, Marie…. for taking the work to read and write what has become a favorite of so many of us. I’ve said it before, this roundup, YOUR efforts, brought together an entire community of bloggers. I’m so thankful and again, I’m always honored to be mentioned!

I have just found your blog page and think its one i will visit again. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in dec 09 and had treatment during 2010. I returned to work but now find myself actually thinking about my journey as at the time I feel I almost went through it by being carried by all the care and support from friends work colleagues and family members. There was a huge amount to cope with as my daughter was seriously ill at the same time. Now I feel able to sit with things and think about my life as it is now. It is difficult to explain to anyone who has not had the experience of cancer treatment and how it changes your life.

You are so welcome here Sheila and thank you for taking the time to share your experience, which many of us can identify with. It is a common misconception that when a patient walks out of hospital on that last day of treatment their cancer story has ended; in reality another chapter is just beginning. During treatment patients are so caught up in the day-to-day routines of survival that there may be little time to give much thought to anything beyond these routines. It is only when treatment has finished that the full impact of what they have been through hits them.

". . .and the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and JOYFUL, by which we arrive at the ground at our own feet, and learn to be at home."
Wendell Berry